The National Archives (TNA)

Sometimes but not always. I have been reprimanded for simple things like trying to flatten a document that wanted to stay folded and not using sufficient foam wedges on an ORB to prevent it flattening out too much - makes photographing a challenge!

There is an invigilators rooms for a certain type of file (orange ticket?) eg Dambusters records, where you are locked in and constantly watched by cameras. I used it twice on records related to highball tests. The first time I used it my camera battery ran out, then a file was treasury tagged through folded sheets so you not open them and required assistance to open each page and my stomach rumbled very loudly throughout. Felt like I was in detention!

They use to do an introduction briefing for new readers card holders but I don't know if that is still going on.

I don't think the TNA would cut things out and in any case I have come across quite a number of Court Martial references where the accused has been named and where guilty the sentence was recorded. Today I found that one named airman was sentenced to 180 days hard labour for larceny. Maybe it was family who felt aggrieved or perhaps thought that he was innocent.

After spending hours paging through a couple of ORBs online today, and finding just 2 items of interest, I wonder if the ORBs will ever be digitised, so they are searchable? That would make research of specifics a lot easier. Although some of the handwritten ones are virtually unreadable.

I have often (in local archives) been given a record with just a piece of paper to separate the part after the 75 year (or whatever) restriction on access. Just done on trust.

There is software that takes out the bend on the pages of an open book, it is used on the automated systems to digitising books. I understand the people digitising BMD for FreeBMD use some sort of mount with a camera at each side of the volume then some software to combine the two pages.

By the way, might be of interest even if not directly relevant. I was at an archaeology conference at the weekend and one talk was on a group who digitising estate maps going back to the 18th Century. This has already done by Dumfries A4chive using a local society for manpower with lots of estate maps being brought in for digitisation. In this case it suited the estate to be able save space so they hired an A0 scanner for the week and the local society again provided manpower. The files are very big so the NLS did the merging of files and put online.

Estate Maps of Scotland, 1750s-1900s

Lovat Estate Map Archive - a collaboration between Lovat Highland Estates and NOSAS

Dumfries Archival Mapping Project

I have noticed today that TNA has a new logo. Call me old fashioned but it is uninspiring but probably cost thousands in consultation fees.

Must admit that I cannot remember what they used to use.

I still don't recognise BP's new (ish) logo so I must be getting old and set in my ways.